I went out to Gahanna for the high school alumni band night this evening. The Lions were completely thrashed by DeSales Stallions, but I had a great time anyway. When I arrived, I found that the directors had brought my old trombone over from the middle school for me to play. It was my first instrument in 4th-8th grade, and I continued playing it in the marching band and jazz band until I graduated high school. I was very touched that they thought of me. The event felt a little different this year, with Jeff Shellhammer not there, but I was very impressed with the way Rob Cebriak has assumed the leadership role. Clearly, the quality of the program will progress as he and the rest of the staff continue to do great things. The new teacher they hired to fill the low brass spot is Jonathan Bradshaw, the husband of Rachel (DeVries) Bradshaw (class of ~2004). With Jonathan Bradshaw, Greg Miller (Chuck Miller's son, class of 1993), and Kevin Dengel (class of 2002) all teaching there now, it's great to see the traditions and legacy of the Gahanna instrumental music program continue to grow as one generation passes the reins to the next.

I just spent two and a half hours on the phone with AT&T. My DSL bill is due, but the bill they sent me is incorrect. I wanted to see a correct bill before sending them any money. In addition, they sent me a modem I do not need or want, and while they refunded the modem price when I sent it back to them, they didn't refund the shipping and handling. "Well, sir, UPS charges that fee, we have nothing to do with it." Yes, I know that money goes to the carrier - that's not my problem. My problem is that you shouldn't have sent it in the first place, so I shouldn't be charged shipping and handling for your mistake! That logic apparently doesn't fly, I'm going to end up paying that shipping and handling. And, after talking to SIX different customer service representatives, nobody can get a corrected bill in my hands. "This amount is right now, my recommendation is that you just send us a check for this amount, since we don't send out corrected bills." Umm, no. Sorry, but I don't trust you at all. Not after the way I was just treated for 2.5 hours. Let me see a bill, let me check the math, and if it's right, then I'll send you something.

Today was my birthday! Katy made the evening special by taking me to Skillet, my favorite restaurant in Columbus, for dinner. Skillet's just a little hole in the wall; it's outside of German Village, has maybe ten tables tops, no alcohol license of any kind, and only recently got table service. It started out as a brunch place, quickly expanded to weekday lunch, and a week or so ago added limited dinner hours. Their food is not fancy, not expensive, and not complicated. But, the chef is not afraid to let ingredients express their best flavors. So many places add salt, sugar, and vinegar to simulate real flavor; at Skillet, they use top quality local ingredients - free range chicken and eggs, grass-finished beef, etc, and let them do their own talking. Katy had a burger with arugula and house-made tomato jam, and I had a brisket sandwich topped with horseradish slaw. We split a side order of potatoes sauteed in pork fat. Simple flavors, done right. For dessert, we visited the new Mouton. Mouton definitely panders to current food trends, but that's OK with us, as we kind of like where those trends are going right now. Mouton serves cheese, charcuterie, wine, espresso, and cocktails. It's tough to get a good drink in this town; for whatever reason, many people don't expect (or even want!) the same level of artistry in a bartender that they do a chef. Mouton is clearly attempting to change that. Little on their liquor menu is adventurous or innovative; instead, they do the classics right. They're very thoughtful about the particular ingredients they use, exacting in their proportions, and caring in their preparation. The result is a line of cocktails that are pretty close to perfect. I think we'll be returning!

So it came to my attention today that I am (again) negligent about updating this blog. Part of the problem is that I'm on summer vacation - not a whole lot going on. However, there have been a few standout events.

Last Saturday evening, Dena and Dustin hosted a backyard grill party, and Katy and I got to meet their baby Evan. He was remarkably well behaved all night, I was very impressed with his temperament. Also, Lauren was there, and I haven't seen her since we graduated from high school. Who needs a formal ten year high school reunion when you can create your own reunions with the people you're interested in seeing? It was a real pleasure to chat with her and see how the last decade has treated us.

Tonight, my parents came up to Columbus for dinner. Being the overachiever I am, I decided to serve five plated courses plus a few extra mouthfuls. Every one of the dishes (except Katy's exquisite dessert, of course) could have been executed better had I focused on it individually, but hopefully nothing I served was actually bad, and I appreciated the opportunity to show a little bit of a range of things I like to do in the kitchen. And, it was great to spend the evening with my parents and a couple bottles of wine.

Today, Laura Eckstein and Jason Wells are getting married in Portland. Many congratulations to them both!